Sewing-machine.



L. E. IOPHAM.- SEWING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. H, 1912.

Patented July 4, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L. E. TOPHAM.

SEWlNG MACHINE. APPLICATION man 1mm. m2.

Patelited July 4, 1916.

'5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L. E. TOPHAM.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man JAN. 11, 1912.

Patented July 4, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

" h 'lnesses s inventor mm a L. E. TO'PHAM.

SEWINQ MACHINE. v APPLICATION FILED MN. 11. 1911,

1,189,406.- Patnted July 4,1916.

I 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

li ii'nesws: 1 j I lnvenlore- W y W L. E. TOPHAM. SEWING MACHiNE.

APPLKCATION FILED IAN. H, 19 12.

Patented July 4, 1916. 5 SHEET5SHEET 5 ing to-be a full, clear,

I ning continuously rotating cranks.

LAURENCE E. TOPEAI, OF BEVERLY, MAS MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATEBSON,

SACHUSETTS, ASSIGN'OB TO UNITED SHOE NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWsEwme-mcnm'n Specification or letters rate'nt.

Toallwhomitmayconcem.

Be it known that I, LAURENCE E. Tor- HAM, a citizen of'the UnitedStates, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines; and I dohereby and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to ing machines employing a hook needle. Inmachines of this type on account of the difliculty encountered indriving the various parts, particularly the needle, awl, takeup and looptaker in their. properly timed relations, it has been the more usualpractice heretofore to employ cams needle, awl and take-up. It isimpracticable to run machines thus constructed athigh speed on acount ofthe shock, vibration and wear on the parts produced by rapidly runcammechamsms. Machines of this have been constructed in which the awl andtake-up are operated by It is essential that the needle thread be kepttaut during the laying of the thread about the needle and during theloop drawing stroke of the type needle,

' needle until the needle hook enters the work in order to insure theproper threading of I the needle and the retention of the thread in theneedle hook. In the crank-operated take-up mechanisms heretofore devisedfor machines of this type, the return movement of the take-up, after itsloop drawing or taking-upstroke, is so rapid that it is impossible tocontrol the delivery of the thread by means of the takeup during thelaying of the thread about the needle and the loop drawing stroke of theneedle. For this reason in addition to the take-up some form of threadcontrolling means has been employed to deliver the needle thread andkeep the thread taut during the laying of the thread about the needleand the loop drawing stroke of the needle until the needle hook entersthe work.

The primary object of the present invention is to produce an improvedand simplified lock-stitch hook needle sewing machine which may be runat high speed without ex- Application filed January 11,

have invented certain'new.

declare the followlock-stitch sewfor driving the the take-up;

I Patented July 4,1916. 1912. Serial No. 670,627.

cessive shock, vibration or wear on the parts ofthe machine.

With the above object in view one feature of the invention'contemplatestheprovision in a sewlng machine of the class referred to havin a hookneedle, a loop taker and an awl o a take-up operating while moving inone direction to pull the loop from the loop taker and set the switchand while moving 1n the opposite direction to deliver thread and keepthe thread taut until the needle hook enters the work and a continuouslyrotating crank for operating the take-up. By this; provision thedisadvantage of a cam mechanism for operating the take-up is obviatedandthe necessity of mechanism in addltion to the take-up for controllingthe thread during the laying of the thread about the needle and strokeof the needle until the needle hook enters the work is eliminated.

Further features of the invention consist of certain constructions,arrangements and combinations of parts and claimed, the advantages of beobvious to one skilled in the art from the following description.

In the drawings illustrating a sewing machine embodying the invention inits preferred form-Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the machine;Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the head of the machine taken ina plane immediately to the rear of Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view ofa portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 taken in substantially thesame lane a detail plan view partly in section of the ranged andoperated substantially as shown and described in applicantsco-pendingapthe loop drawing hereinafter described a which will take-upmechanism; and Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10-

plication, Serial N 0. 621,286, filed April 15, 1911. p a

For a full and complete description of the parts not fully describedherein refer- Y nections from continuously rotating cranks.

The take-up in the present invention is of the oscillatory type andconsists of an arm secured to the forward end of a rock shaft andprovided at its free end wlth a thread-engaging roll as in apphcantscopending application referred to above. The take-up is operated throughnovel connecti g mechanism from a contlnuously rotatof the needle.

mg crank so that the machine is capableof being run at high speedwithout excessive shock or vibration. In the present invention, however,in addition to pulling the loop from the loop taker and setting thestitch while moving in one direction, the take-up operates while movingin the oposite direction to deliver the thread and lieep the thread tautduring the laying of the thread in the hook of the needle and during theretracting or loop drawing stroke of the needle until the needle hookenters the work. By operating the take-up to thus control the thread thenecessity of a thread detainer or other mechanism to deliver the threadas required by the stitch forming mechanism during these steps in thestitch fonning operation is eliminated. Since the rotating hook or looptaker in the present embodiment of the invention makes three revolutionsduring a single cycle of operations of stitch forming mechanism andsince the taking-up movement must take place during approximately half arevolution of the hook or loop taker, it is essential that the taking-upmovement of the take-up be exceedingly rapid. During the laying of thethread in the hook of the needle the movement of the take-up to deliverthe thread and keep the thread taut must be comparatively slow. However,when the needle starts on its retracting movement to draw the loop thethread must be delivered quite rapidly by the take-up until the needleook enters the Work but must be held back sufficiently to retain thethread in the hook After the thread is drawn into the work theresistance of the work against the thread insures the retention of thethread in the needle hook and it is theredrawings fore no longernecessary that the take-up control the thread.

In the present embodiment of the invention a take-up mechanism has beendevised in which there is imparted to the take-up'a loop drawing ortaking-up movement of suflicient rapidity and angular extent to properlypull the loop from the loop taker and set the stitch, a slow returnmovement duringthe laying of the thread in the hook of the needle and amore rapid return movement during the retracting stroke of the needle,the said mechanism being constructed and arranged so that the take-updelivers just 'suflioient thread and keeps the thread taut during thetwo last mentioned steps in the stitch forming operation until theneedle hook enters the work. In the illustrated embodiment of theinvention the take-up indicated at 4 consists of an arm secured to theforward end of a rock shaft 5 and provided at its forward end with atake-up roll 6 which cooperates with the thread guiding rolls 7 and 8 todraw out the loop in the needle thread. To secure ease, smoothness andcertainty chine is running at high speed, the rock shaft 5 carrying thetake-up arm 4 is operated through suitable oonnecting'mechanism from acontinuously rotating crank pin 9 Wl1lCh is carried by the cam wheel 10,by which the lower thread lock and feedin mechanism are operated, thesaid cam whee being mounted on the forward end of the main driving shaft11. To produce the proper timing .of the awl and looper the crank pin 9is arranged somewhat in advance of the crank 12 mounted on the frontface of the cam Wheel 10 by which crank the link 13 and rock shaft 14 ofthe awl actuating mechanism are operated, and to this end is mounted onthe extremity of an arm 15 formed on and projecting forwardly from thecrank 12 in the direction of rota tion. The said connecting mechanismcomprises an arm 16 upon the rear end of the rock shaft 5 and a link 17connecting the said arm with an arm 18 carried by a rock shaft 19journaled in the machine frame to the rear of the rock shaft 5 andarranged parallel to but out of alinement with said shaft. The arm 18 isconstructed of somewhat greater length than the arm 16 so that uponangular movement of the arm 18 between the positions illustrated inFigs. 3 and 2, a movement of greater angular extent is imparted to thearm 16. A second arm 20 is carried by the rock shaft 19 and is connectedby means of a link 21 to the short arm 24 of a two-armed lever 25pivoted on the rotating crank pin 9, the said link being pivotallyconnected with the arm 20 and with the arm 24 of the lever 25 by pins 22and 23 respectively. A lever 2? is pivoted at 26 on the machine frameand is connected of operation when the ma maaaoa V f by means of a pin28 with the long arm 29 of the two-armed lever25. The rock shaft 19 andarms 20 and-18 carried by said rock shaft constitute an intermediatepivoted lever between the lever 25 and the take-up, the arm 20 and the.arm 18 constituting the ower receiving and delivering arms 0 said ever.By means of the mechanism above described a variable crank motion isimparted to the pin 23 and through the connection 'of said pin with thetake-up, a movement is imparted to the take-up in'one direction to pullthe loop from the loop taker and set the stitch and a movement in theopposite direction to control the thread and to keep the thread tautuntil the needle hook enters the work.

In the diagrammatic views Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, the various leversand connecting links have been represented by lines, the various pointsof connections between the several levers and links by circles and thepivotal points of the levers by concentric circles. In each figure theparts are re resented in full lines'in the position w ich they assume atthe beginning of a step in the cycle of operations and by dot and dashlines in the position which they assume at the 'end of the step. Thevarious parts of the take-up mechanism are indicated in the diagrammaticviews by the same reference numerals as in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive. InFigs. 3 and 4 the parts are represented in the positions which theyassume whenthe take-up is in its extreme right-hand position out ofcontact with the thread'at the conclusion of its retracting stroke. Itwill be noted that at this point in a cycle of operations the pin 23,the crank pin 9 and the pin 22 are brought substantially into line. Thisis the position whichthe parts ofthe mechanism assume at the turningpoint in the movement of the take-up and the takeup immediately ing-upstroke. By the continued rotation of the driving-shaft 11, the crank pin9 is carried out of alinement with the pins 22 and 23 and by thecombined action of the lever 27 on the lever 25 and the rotary movementof the crank pin 9 the pin 23 is moved in the path indicated by thearrow ain Fig. 7 during the taking-up stroke of the take-up, the partsbein represented in said Fig. 7 by dot and dash lines in the positionswhich they assume at the conclusion of the takingup stroke. It will benoted that during this step in the cycle of operations the pin 23 iscarried in toward the axis of the arm 20 and moves very nearly in astraight line tangent to a circle having its center at a point in theaxis of said arm. A rapid angular movement is therefore imparted to thearm 20 and a still more rapid angular movement is given to the shaft 5due to the construction and arrangement of the arm 18 of theinterthereafter starts on its takmediate lever, the arm 16 mounted onthe take-up shaft and link 17 connecting said arms as above described.An angular movement of sufiicient rapidity and angular ex-- tent is thusimparted to the take-u to pull the loop from the loop taker an set thestitch in 'a' satisfactory manner. In the illustrated embodiment of theinvention the angular movement of the crank pin 9 during the taking-upstroke of the take-up is substantially eighty degrees and the angularmovement of the take-up is approximately one hundred and twenty-fivedegrees. In Fig. 2 the parts are illustrated in the positions which theyassume at the conclusion of the taking-up stroke of the take-up. It

will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 2

and Fig. 7 that the arm 20 at the conclusion of the taking-up strokeassumes a position to the right of the center of rotation of the crankpin 9 and that the pin 22. at the extremity of said arm has been broughtnearly to a position of dead center with the center of rotation of saidcrank For about sixty-five degrees of a revolution of the crank pin 9from the position illustrated in Fig. 2, in dot and dash' lines in Fig.7 and infull lines in Fig. 8, the pin 23 is moved by the combined actionof the lever 27 on the lever 25 and the rotary movement of the crank pinthrough the path indicated by the arrow 0 in Fig. 8 substantiallyconcentric with the center of the rotation of the crank pin 9 Duringthis step in a cycle of operations the pin 22 is moved through the pathindicated by the arrow 0! in Fig. 8 and the arm 20 is moved to the leftto the position indicated in dot and dash lines in said figure.Therefore during this step in a cycle of operations a slight retractingmovement is imparted to the take-up. This occurs at the time that thethread arm and looper are going out or away from the needle, and themovement imparted to the take-up is suflicient to deliver the thread tothe thread arm and looper and to keep the thread taut.

During the movement of the looper inward to lay the thread in the hookof the needle which constitutes the next step in a cycle of operationsand consumes about eighty degrees of a revolution of the crank pin. 9,the pin 23 is moved in the path indicated by the arrow e in Fig. 9 andthe arm 20 .is moved to the position indicated in dot and dash lines insaid figure. It will be noted that during this step the angular movementof the arm 20 is comparatively slow but is somewhat more rapid than themovement of said arm during the previous step in a cycle of operations.The take-upis thereby operated to deliver the thread to the looperduring its inward movement to lay the thread in the hook of the needle.During the next step in a cycle of operations the needle movesdownwardly or retractsto draw a loop of thread through the work andto'bring the loop into the path of the rotating hook or loop-taker andas the needle retreats the thread arm moves inward toward the needle togive up the loop which lies over said arm.

. During this ste which consumes about seventy degrees a revolution ofthe crank pin 9, the pin 23 is moved through the path indicated by thearrow fin Fi and arm is moved to the position in icated in dot and dashlines in said figure. -The movement of the arm 20 and the movementimparted to the take-up through its connection with said arm is morerapid during this step than during the two previous steps in the stitchforming operation to give up thread to the needle durin its retractingstroke. As-soon as the needfia book has entered-the work which occursbefore the needle has movement of said rm carries the take-up to I theposition illustrated in Fig. 4 out of engagement with the bight of thethread between the thread guiding rolls 7 and 8 as the thread is drawntautin passing about the shuttle. This is the position which the take-upassumes when about to start on its taking-up stroke. Sufficient time ,isconsumed during the retreat of the take-up and its movement before itagain engages the thread, so that the time consumed ,by the take-up inexpanding the thread loop is only about 80 of a revolution of thedriving shaft. The movement of the take-up roll 6 when it engages thethread is at a substantial angle to the direction in which the loop isdrawn out so that although the take-up is moving more rapidly when itfirst engages the thread, its action upon the thread loop is such thatat the very beginning of the loop expansion, thethread will be drawncomparatively slowly and will not be subjected to a sudden snap orstrain by the take-up. This allows the thread to be drawn in slowly justafter it has passed over the middle of the bobbin case and before therapid movement which is necessary to draw it up along the side of thebobbin case and into the work.

When the take-up is nearing the extremity of its loop-expanding stroke,the take-up roll 6 is also moving in a direction which is greatlyinclined'to the direction of the loop expansion so that the thread'jisdrawn slowly during the final setting of the stitch in the work.

is arranged to reach a position approxi-.

mately central with relation to the loop which it draws out, thiscentral position being the position of the greatest loop expansion.Since the take-up roll 6 is moving in the neighborhood ,of its centralposition in an are lying at nearly right angles to the direction inwhich it pulls out the thread loop, any overthrow of the take-up willhave very little, if any, appreciable effect to further drawout' theloop has a definite timed relation to the movement of the rotary hook orloop-taker which carries a loop of thread over the bobbin case and theneedle and awl have a definite timed relation to the movement of the.take-up and rotary hook.

The invention is not limited to the details of construction andoperation of the illustrated embodiment but may be embodied in otherforms within the scope of the claims.

The nature and object of the invention having been explained and apreferred form of invention having been specifically described, what isclaimed is:

1. A lockstitch sewing machine, having in combination, stitch formingdevices including a hook needle, a looper, athread finger, a loop taker,and take-up mechanism comprising a draftv device for engaging the needlethread, a continuously rotating crank,

and connections therefrom for operating of thread, The take-up the draftdevice to give said device a rapid movement in one direction to pull theloop from the loop taker and set the stitch and a retarded movement inthe opposite direction to pay out the thread to the looper, threadfinger and needle as required b the same and to keep the thread tautuntil the needle hook enters the Work.

2. A lockstitch sewing machine, having in combination, stitch formingdevices includ ing a hook needle, a looper, a thread finger, acontinuously rotating loop taker, and takeup mechanism comprising adraft device for engaging the needle thread, a continuously rotatingcrank, and connections therefrom for operating the draft device to givesaid device a rapid movement in one direction to pull the loop from theloop taker and set the stitch and a retarded movement in the oppositedirection to pay out the thread to the looper, thread finger and needleas required by the same and to keep the thread taut until the needlehook enters thework.

3. A lockstitch sewing machine, having in combination, stitch formingdevices including a hook needle, a looper, a thread finger,

7 an oscillating opelzating p m movement in one direction combination,stitch forming rating the take-up ing a lever pivoted on the crank, andmeans an awl, a take-up,

a continuously rotating loop taker making three complete revolutionsduring each cycle of operations, and take-up mechanism comprising adraft 'device for engaging the needle thread, a continuously rotatingcrank, and connections therefrom for operating the draft device to givesaid device a rapid to pull the loop set the stitch and a retardedmovement in the opposite direction to pay out the thread -to the looper,thread finger and needle as required by the from the loop taker and sameand to keep the thread taut until the needle hook enters the work.

4. A lock-stitch sewing machine, having in devices including a hookneedle, a looper, a thread finger, a loop taker, take-up mechanismcomprising draft device movable to an approximately central positionwith relation to the loop which it draws out, .a continuously rotatingcrank and connections therefrom for operating the draft device to giveit a rapid movement in one direction to pull the loop from the looptaker and set the stitch, and a retarded movement in the oppositedirection to pay out the thread to the looper, thread finger and needleas required by the same, and to keep the thread taut until the needlehook enters the work.

5. A lock-stitch sewing machine, having, in combination, a hook needle,a loop-taker, an awl, a take-upacting while moving in one direction topull the loop from the loop-taker and set the stitch and while moving inthe opposite direction to deliver the thread and keep the thread tautuntil the needle hook enters the work, a continuously rotating crank andconnecting mechanism for operfrom the crank comprisfor varying theangular position of the lever as the crank rotates.

6. A lock-stitch sewing machine, having, in combination, a hook needle,a loop-taker, v acting while moving in one direction to pull the loopfrom the looptaker and set the stitch and while moving m the o positedirection to deliver and eep the thread taut until the needle hookenters the work, a continuously rotatmg the take-up from the crankcomthe thread crank and connecting mechamsm for lever pivoted on thecrank and a second lever pivoted on the frame and pivotally connectedwith. the first lever.

7. A lock-stitch sewing machine, having, in combination,a hook needle, aloop-taker," an awl, a take-up acting while moving in one direction topull the loop from the looptaker and set the stitch and while moving inthe opposite direction to deliver the thread and keep'the thread tautuntil the needle hook enters the work, a continuously rotating crank and,connecting mechanism for operating the take-up from the crankcomprising an intermediate pivoted lever, -a second lever pivoted on thecrank and connected with the first lever, and means to vary the angularposition ofthe second lever as the crank rotates.

8. A lock-stitch sewing machine, having, in combination, a hook needle,a loop-taker, an awl, a take-up acting while moving in one direction topull the loop from the looptaker and set the stitch and while moving inthe opposite direction to deliver the thread and keep the thread tautuntil the needle hook enters the'work, a continuously rotating crank andconnecting mechanism for operating the take-upfrom the crank comprisingan. intermediate pivoted lever, a second lever pivoted on the crank andconnected with the first lever, a third lever pivoted on the frame andpivotally con-' nected with the second lever to vary the angularposition thereof as the crank rotates. 9. A lock-stitch sewing machine,having, in combination, a hook needle, a loop-taker, an awl, a take-up,a rock shaft on which the take-up is mounted, a continuously rotatingcrank and connecting mechanism for operatingv the rock'shaft fromthecrankcomprising an arm carried by the rock shaft, an intermediatepivoted lever, a link connecting the said arm with the lever, atwo-armed lever pivoted on the crank, a link'connecting one arm of thetwo-armed lever with the intermediate lever, a third lever pivoted onthe frame and pivotally connected with the other arm of the two-armedlever to vary the angular position of the two-armed lever as the crankrotates.

LAURENCE E. TOPHAM.

Witnesses:

CHESTER E. Rooms, Lam M. Goonnmen.

